August 20, 1874

THE ATHENS MESSENGER

In and Around Peking

Peking, the capital of China, is divided into four cities. The Tartar city, or Peking proper, is surrounded by a square wall, four miles each way. The Southern city is five miles long by two broad, and is along the south wall of the Tartar city. Within the latter is the Imperial city, and within the Imperial city is the Forbidden city, which contains the Emperors's residence, and into which foreigners are not allowed to enter. The entire population of these cities is perhaps not under two millions.

The wall around the Tartar city is a stupendous structure, some fifty feet in height, and wide enough at the top to allow three or four carriages to drive abreast. There are several gates on each side, all surmounted by lofty towers. From the top of the wall one has a fine view of the city and surrounding country; and if he is disposed to make its circuit (an easy day's walk), all parts of the Capital come successively within easy range of his observation. In the spring and summer the city presents quite a rural aspect, as the ugliness of the houses is greatly obscured by the green foliage of hundreds of thousands of trees, planted in the courtyards. The great streets which intersect it are very wide, and filled with carts, mules, donkeys, camels, and Chinamen. The atmosphere is redolent with nauseating fumes, which in the dry season are deodorized by clouds of stifling dust. -- In the rainy season the unpaved portions of the streets are one mass of mud. Rain or no rain, the annoyances in passing through the city are numberless, and from one end to the other there is scarcely a single edifice which seems worthy of even a passing notice. The temples indeed are large enough to be conspicuous at a distance, but they are covered with yellow tiles, and there is nothing about their architecture that is pleasing or attractive. If there are any objects of curiosity about them, they are all inside.

In a large Lama temple close to the north wall of the city is an image of Buddha sixty feet high and fifteen feet across the shoulders, said to represent the size of the deity when only seven days old. He is in a standing position, and after ascending three flights of stairs the visitor finds himself still below the neck, with the huge head towering far above him. There is nothing frightful about the idol, the expression on the countenance being quite serene and natural. In each hand it holds a lotus plant, which winds up over its shoulders and terminates on both sides in two beautiful bouquets. -- The arms, legs and feet are well proportioned, and there is something in its vast size which is awe-inspiring. It was carved out of wood (the priests say out of a single block), and being gilded over, resembles an image of bronze.

In the building adjacent, where several hundred Lama priests meet three times a day to chant their devotions, we saw the Tibetan classics. There were one hundred and five long volumes, of proportionate thickness, written in Sanskrit; and the two hundred volumes of Commentaries were piled up on the opposite side of the room. -- In the center

of the room was a curious shrine, made of wood, and covered with multitudes of carved figures. Each group represented a religious idea, or a story of some kind. As a specimen, in one place a thief was in the act of fleeing from justice, and overhead an officer was stretching out a very long arm to seize him. The idea was, that the farther the thief ran, the longer the arm became, so that there was no hope of his escape. Outside of the building was a striking exhibition of the Buddhist hell. -- The painting covered several square feet of surface, and represented a large number of modes of torture. Some wretches were swimming in seas of blood; some were hung up for disemboweling; and others were being transfixed, or ripped asunder by saws.

The Temple of the Great Bell is situated two miles to the northwest of the Tartar city. Several large buildings stand together, with spacious courtyards between them, each being shaded by fine species of pine and fir. The Great Bell is quite a curiosity, and is certainly entitled to the name. Its height is about fourteen feet, and the lower rim is near a foot in thickness and measures thirty-four feet around. The entire surface inside and out is covered with Chinese characters. A rough calculation on our part made the number of characters amount to two hundred thousand. The bell is estimated to weigh fifty tons. It is rung for the purpose of bringing rain, and then only in the last extremity, when all other expedients fail. -- As there is no tongue inside, it is rung by a wooden beam driven against it like a battering ram. It was cast two hundred and fifty years ago, and has the reputation of being the largest suspended bell in the world. A winding staircase took us to the top, where we could see the enormous beams upon which it was suspended. How such a bell could have been cast, with those volumes of Buddhistic lore inscribed on its surface, each of the thousands of characters being accurately defined, was a mystery. -- The legend connected with it is, that the founder at first made repeated attempts to cast it properly, but in vain; and as his life was under forfeit in case he did not succeed, he was placed in an uneasy situation. An oracle declared that a human sacrifice was necessary in order for the success of the experiment; and at last the founder's daughter threw herself into the burning mold, when lo the bell came forth in all its perfection.